Ranger

In loving memory of Ranger. 

1-2000 to 7-2016

I feel blessed to have had Ranger in my life at for 15 of his 16 years. He was a smart, loving and kind Labrador retriever. He had a huge personality and could always make me smile. He was sweet but definitely the alpha dog in the house. We adopted him from Pet Orphans in Van Nuys, California. They found him at a local animal shelter. One of my favorite memories of him will always be… During our adoption home check I showed them our dog doors and the dog-run where he would go potty. I was told "that dog will never do that". I said , "give him 10 minutes ". I was wrong, it only took him 5 minutes. I really can't take any credit for that. Ranger was scary-smart.

He was a known escape artist who love to explore. If we weren't careful, when a door would open he would wander out. Luckily he loved people and people loved him. Neighbors would escort him back home and strangers would call us after reading his tags. His wandering spirit never stopped.

After we started traveling in the motorhome, Ranger could not have been happier. He got to travel and explore with his family. He got to visit many state and national parks. He left his mark in countless forests, lakes and trails. Truck stops and rest stops were equally fun. He traveled in and out and through so many different states. He clocked in an estimated 20,000 miles.  Definitely, a life well lived!



I will forever miss my love puppy.
Rest in peace, Ranger. 

Brevard, North Carolina

While staying in Asheville, we stumbled across another treasure. From that point on we found ourselves making daily trips. Brevard is located approximately 20 miles south of Asheville,  Even though the population is under 8000, with the exception of downtown, everything is pretty spread out. I recommend a good road map and an idea of what you want to see each day. To say this city is beautiful would definitely be an understatement. Brevard has gorgeous green mountains, forests, lakes and waterfalls. In fact, Brevard is known as The Land Of Waterfalls.


  
The DuPont Forest is located here. To be precise, Dupont is southeast of Brevard, between Hendersonville and Brevard. Officially, it is The Dupont State Recreational Forest. This is where scenes from the movies, The Last of the Mohicans and The Hunger Games were filmed.

DuPont is loved for its miles of hiking trails, mountain biking, horseback riding, and swimming etc. If your a wheelchair user (like I am) there is no reason to feel left out. When you present your Access Pass to the ranger in the main office, you will be allowed to drive through the park. Triple Falls, High Falls and The Bridge are set up for wheelchairs. They all have parking, a picnic areas and wheelchair accessible Andy Gumps. Be warned… I could see everything and should've been perfectly happy, but I thought I could get a closer look. My front wheel got stuck in a rut and I took a tumble out of my chair. A lot of people came running to give me a hand. No harm no foul… Except for my ego nothing was hurt. After my husband finished giggling, he told me that on the previous day both he and two of his friend fell off their bikes in the same area. I became a proud member of the "I wiped out here club".










  







Also adjacent to Brevard is The Pisgah Forest. I think this is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. Every moment took my breath away. I literally felt like I was living inside a beautiful oil painting. The lush forest is full of high peaks and cascading waterfalls. Most of the sites have areas to pull your car over and take pictures. Also, pack a lunch because there are picnic tables everywhere.

 
On Highway 276, as you enter The Pisgah National Forest you will find Dolly's Dairy Bar. This is a MUST STOP for great ice cream. 


A little further up 276 is the Ranger Station and Visitor Center. Continue up 276 and you will see Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock Falls and a Vanderbilt hunting cabin. 
You can see Looking Glass Falls from the road. There is an accessible overlook for a better view. Stairs go down to the bottom of the falls but they are not very accessible.

Sliding Rock is a fun activity spot. For just $1 per day you can actually slide down and play in the waterfall. This is not an accessible activity, but the viewpoint is.

 



One of Vanderbilt's hunting cabins still stands.







Topping 276 is The Blue Ridge Parkway with several accessible overlooks.

Downtown Brevard is relatively flat and touristy. There are many fun little shops, restaraunts and a retro movie theatre. While you are there I recommend eating and Millberry's café.



 


The co-ed movie theater is a retro experience with first run movies for only $7 during the day and $8 at night.
The popcorn is pretty great, also!



 




* Sidenote… Another reason that I love this place could be because my favorite holiday is Halloween, and Brevard is the County Seat  of Transylvania county.

Asheville North Carolina

This was our second trip to this area. We loved it so much the first time we started considering a permanent move. We wanted to see Asheville a little more normal day-to-day and less as a tourist. We also wanted to see how the August heat would effect my MS symptoms. I believe we accomplished our mission and did a lot of fun stuff too.

We stayed at;
Asheville's Bear Creek RV Park & Campground
81 S. Bear Creek Rd.
Asheville, NC 28806
828-253-0798
www.ashevillebearcreek.com

Amenities:
Full hookups
Tent area
Heated swimming pool – seasonal
Bathrooms
Laundry
Playground
Cable TV
Wi-Fi

I love this RV park! The people are incredibly friendly and helpful. Everything is well-maintained and clean. The Wi-Fi is hit and miss (depending on the time of day). Some of the sites are satellite friendly, but this is a mountain location with a lot of trees. The lower level is definitely wheelchair friendly, however the rest of the sites are on a hill. The higher you go the better the views. Providing you have a car the location is perfect. Easy freeway access no matter what direction you're headed to. The freeways encircle Asheville and are easy to navigate. But, some of the on and off ramps are confusing.

We had to check out the farmers market. The NC Farmers Market is close to the RV park but you will still need your car. This market was enormous. It's not a walk-through it's literally a drive-through. They had tons of fruit, veggies and plants… However, I was surprised that they had nothing organic.

An indoor shopping mall is only a couple of miles from the RV park. It has enough stores to get your retail fix and lots of parking.

About 6-miles away is the North Carolina Arboretum.
It's located next to the Blue Ridge Pkwy at 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way.
The price is per car not per person. There is plenty of handicap parking. I recommend using a power wheelchair or scooter. The Arboretum has 65 acres of gardens. 10 acres of hiking and biking trails. Lots of events for kids. Most of it is accessible but there are a couple of spots that may be difficult for any type of wheelchair. They have a gift shop and a cafe, but I recommend packing a lunch.

One of my favorite things is to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. No matter what time of year it's gorgeous! You can read about the Parkway to the North in my first Asheville post. And you will be able to read about the Parkway to the South in my upcoming Brevard post.



The Folk Art Center
382 Blue Ridge Parkway
Asheville, North Carolina

Since the 1930s the folk art center has been the gathering spot for mountain craftsmanship with shopping and exhibits. The parking and facility are very accessible. However, it is a steep ramp up to the front door and a ramp to the second floor.


I never end a blog post without food recommendations;

Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company
675 Marion Ave.
Asheville, NC 28801

This could be the perfect place. Pizza, beer and movies. It's a fun place for the whole family and the pizza is really good. My only negative was that we were sitting outside with our dog and everybody was smoking.




All Souls Pizza
175 Clingman Ave
Asheville, NC 28801

 

Gourmet pizza at its best!

Bandidos Latin Kitchen

697 Haywood Rd.

Asheville, NC 28806

It's an awful location, But the food is great and the margaritas are amazing!!

Overnighters

Sometimes you will find that there are just too many miles between you and your final destination. You will just need a safe place to rest for the night. These pitstops I call overnighters.

Nevada: 

Walmart this Fallon Nevada
2333 Reno Highway
Fallon, Nevada
775-428-1700

This Walmart is open 24 hours. Campers are welcome to stay overnight. (I think that Walmart hopes that you will shop before you leave… Which we always do.) The parking lot is large. It was noisy because we parked close to the highway. We parked out of the way so I could open the slide a little bit in the motorhome. I know you're probably not supposed to do that but, otherwise I wouldn't be able to move in my wheelchair. Be careful, they used many cement islands as a traffic systems. 

South Dakota:

I couldn't believe it but, in South Dakota it is illegal to park overnight at a rest stop, Walmart, Target, etc... However, Sam's Club will let you stay. If you park close enough, Sam's Club is an AT&T free hotspot

Sam's Club
925 Eglin Street
Rapid City, SD 57701

This was a quiet spot to stay. They had a large parking lot. Needless to say, it filled up quick.
 
Missouri:

Rock Port Rest Area
Visitor center and Vending machines

This was a good stop. It was mostly quiet. A lot of big trucks stay here so watch out for the refrigerators. They have to run all night and it can get noisy.

Tennessee:

Sams club
3315 Guthrie Hwy
Clarksville, TN. 37040

This was a large parking lot. Ordinarily it would've been great but, we spent the night near the rudest truck driver ever. He could've been anywhere but chose to park near the motorhomes. If that wasn't bad enough it was a refrigerator truck with a driver who chose to rev his motor all night long.

** Lesson learned… Travel with earplugs!

Yellowstone National Park

We stayed near the West entrance to Yellowstone National Park at...

Grizzly RV Park

West Yellowstone, Montana 59798

406-646-4466

Grizzly.com

Amenities include-

Full hookups

Beautiful big sites

Cabins & Tent

Wi-Fi

Picnic tables

Play ground

Laundry rooms 

Showers in the restrooms

Accessible restrooms and showers

Clubhouse

Convenient store

Gift store

Wow! This RV park is gorgeous. Everything is super clean. The road is level and cement paved. The landscaping is perfect. The sites are large with hard packed gravel to park on, a cement patio, picnic table,  a lot of grass and beautiful trees. The playground is large, safe and clean. You will never have to hike too far because restrooms, showers and laundry rooms can be found throughout the park. 


 



They even have a huge, private                                accessible restroom/shower. 

 
The WiFi is just OK especially during peak hours. An abundance of dumpsters are conveniently located throughout the park. In the clubhouse every morning a complementary hot beverage is available. I could go on and on forever because somebody was paying very close attention to the details. This park is fabulous!!

Of course the main attraction is Yellowstone National Park. 

Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500-sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho too. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. It's also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope.

Arrive early because the line to get in the park is slow and long. Don't forget your Access Pass. At the gate you will be given maps. You can even get an access ability guide for wheelchairs. An audio guided tour app is available through the iTunes Store but, it DID NOT work for us. Most people follow the same route through the park. I would suggest going the opposite direction. You will see everything and avoid heavy congestion. The largest tourist trap is Old Faithful. If you want souvenirs or food get it BEFORE the geyser erupts. 

Yellowstone is breathtaking! There is way too much to see all-in-one day. I recommend splitting it up and pacing yourself. On the way out we drove our RV through the park and exited the East entrance. We got a great new perspective that was amazing. The Buffalo were a little less intimidating this time. 

 

Be advised, after exiting Yellowstone, this route will take you through the Big Horn National Forest. It is an absolutely beautiful mountainous drive but there are some steep and windy roads.

Another must see Is...

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center 
201 South Canyon 
West Yellowstone, MT 
406-646-7001

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is a nonprofit educational facility. Rangers give scheduled seminars. They are also available for any and all questions. This is the home for many grizzly bears, wolves and birds of prey that for various reasons could not survive in the wild. They are all well cared for at the Discovery center.

This is a perfect place to bring your children and everyone else. As far as mobility issues, this center is relatively small and completely paved. There are small hills to maneuver however, the inside exhibits and the gift shop are all on one level.

If you like Mexican food you absolutely must eat at "The Taco Bus".

Las Palmitas 

21 N. Canyon St.

406–640-0172

This restaurant is literally a bus and if you blink you may miss it. It's location is next to a bike store. The food is amazing!! I highly recommend the street tacos. If you can climb into a bus the seating is tight. Outside they have bench seating or you can get your food to go.

Boise, Idaho

Boise is the capital of and the most populous city in Idaho. Boise is located on the Boise River in the southwest portion of Idaho. If you love outdoor activities there is a lot to do here.

You can even surf.

After reading about all of its great retirement attributes, I had to check it out. Boise offers great quality of life, excellent medical, lower taxes and low housing prices. Even though Boise is a fabulous spot, it wasn't perfect for me.

We stayed at the Riverside RV Park 

6000 N Glenwood St.

Boise, ID. 83714 

(208) 375-7432

Although, it's address says Boise the actual address is in Garden City.

Amenities include;

Full hookups

Big Rig Friendly

Large sites w/large area for tow car

Wi-Fi

Picnic tables

Hard packed gravel

Dogs welcome (Best rules ever-"Be Courteous")

This is a no-frills RV park with a great location. It is mostly hard packed gravel with some cement sidewalks. The cement sidewalks are not continuous, so from time to time you will have to travel on the gravel. The Boise River Walk runs right along side the park. The path is a little rough near Riverside RV Park but, the closer you get to Boise the better it gets. If you have any mobility issues I recommend using a scooter or power wheelchair. The Riverside RV Park entrance is right behind the fairgrounds. While we were there I saw signs for horse shows, car racing and even minor league baseball. There is always something going on so make sure you check it out.

I can't let a blog entry go by without mentioning food. I don't claim this to the best but, If you're in the mood for a hamburger and french fries I found this…